Culture

'Tis the season for nesting, and for many of us that means cooking—either for entertainment on a rained-in weekend (dinner included!), or as an effort to cut costs now that holiday gift buying is back on the horizon. For Throwback Thursday this week, we're honoring a program that has satisfied both of these cravings and more in Seattle for 20 years. Held at Solid Ground, a Wallingford-based antipoverty non-profit, Cooking Matters classes offer low-income adults, youth and families the opportunity to polish their kitchen craft and also learn nutritional and budgeting skills.

Happy day after Election Day, Seattle. There's a 50/50 chance that you're either elated over last night's results or absolutely depressed. So let's get to it:Kiro Radio's Rachel Belle takes an in-depth look at Seattle's pho phenomenon and how the delicious hot Vietnamese soup became such a mainstay here. Now I know what I'm having for lunch.

They look like decaying movie sets left over from some long-ago shoot. Across Capitol Hill, skeletal remnants of vintage brick buildings are propped up with girders and posts, while huge construction pits gape just behind. The prevalence of these haunting façades is the result of zoning incentives established by the Seattle City Council in 2009 as part of the Pike/Pine Conservation Overlay District, which set out to preserve the character of the old “auto-row” architecture in the neighborhood.

We're the fifth whitest major city in America, but we have been diversifying. We were 92 percent white in 1960 and by 2010 we were down to 65 percent. As Seattle urbanizes and the U.S. population becomes more racially diverse, we should see steady change in this area.
Or, maybe we won’t.

In the days leading up to the Super Bowl last year, a class of University of Washington art history students took their own slant on the citywide fan frenzy—by seeking out the origins of the Seahawks logo. They soon learned that the distinctive bird face, created for the team in the mid-1970s, was very likely based on an indigenous eagle mask made by the Kwakwaka’wakw tribe in the Vancouver Island area. A blog post about the research somehow reached the University of Maine’s Hudson Museum—which had the mask in its collection.

It's already November. Let's dive into what's going on around Seattle, shall we?
'Tis the season for winter depression. According to The Seattle Times, "Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) tends to hit women harder than men." If you find yourself feeling a bit blue as the days grow shorter and grayer and rainier, they've outlined seven tips to help you combat SAD.

Everyone in Seattle has heard about the Mariners, the Sounders and, of course, the Seahawks. There are people who still wear Seattle SuperSonics t-shirts and jerseys, clinging to the NBA team we lost. But there's another team in town worth paying attention to that is practicing hard, inspiring youth and bringing home trophies and championships.

Happy Halloween, everyone! The Capitol Hill Seattle Blog has rounded up its 23 most spookiest posts ever. They include some of the "best tales of mystery and paranormal activity from around Capitol Hill from the CHS archives." Enjoy...if you dare.

Last November, I wrote about the fancy commercial digital laser projector that Cinerama owner Paul Allen was set to have installed in his Belltown theater in early 2014, among several other renovations. The super-high-tech machine has a light output of 60,000 lumens, which translates into films with more clarity and color accuracy than ever before.

Must Watch'Sushi with Shiro' at Pike Place Market Sunday (11/2, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) Retired sushi chef Shiro Kashiba will be on hand at Pike Place Market's Atrium Kitchen for a live sushi preparation demo, including tastings of classic dishes like seasonal matsutake mushroom broth. Stay for a post-demo book signing of Kashiba's memoir Shiro: Wit, Wisdom and Recipes from a Sushi Pioneer.

Halloween is my most favorite time of the year. And clearly I am not alone in this obsession: NPR recently reported on some interesting statistics from the National Retail Federation, which affirm that around 75 million adults will don costumes for the holiday. Rather than go out tomorrow night amidst the costumed madness, I will be home watching scary movies and, pending I can actually find one (curse you, Target), playing a Ouija board.

After Starbucks finally let go of its antiquated tattoo ban for its baristas and store employees, now it's telling them they can't wear jewelry like wedding rings with stones, watches or bracelets due to food safety rules. Not surprisingly, employees are outraged. I'd be too; I'm quite attached to my diamond engagement ring.

As the founder of lifestyle company Coco + Kelley, resident cool girl and blogger Cassandra LaValle has some serious style chops. She's spiffed up home interiors, styled stunning magazine shoots, crafted dreamy birthday party tablescapes and beyond. So it only makes sense that we tap into where she snags her home decor goodies, clothing and accessories.

Finally some good news on the Bertha front: Last week's excavation of the tunnel drilling machine's repair pit came to an abrupt halt after shells were discovered in the soil. Archaeologists were called in (one week later, natch) to examine the shells, which were thought to have been from indigenous peoples. Turns out, they're not. Crosscut has all the details.